2010 Books in Review

FIRST OFF: Guys, all I can say is sorry for being a very bad blogger. I'm done making promises I can't keep. Whoever still follows, please forgive me. :)

Second, below I typed some very brief reviews of the books I read in 2010. Many of the books I read in 2010 were school books and sorry but no way am I giving those anymore attention. That's why I didn't get to read as much this year. Leave comments! :)

Vampire Academy Series: 5/5

Frostbite: 5/5

Vampire Academy: 5/5

Shadow Kiss: 5/5

Blood Promise: 4/5

Spirit Bound: 4/5

Last Sacrifice: 5/5

Seriously, these books were and are amazing.

TEAM ADRIAN 4EVER! ;)

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Pretty

Little

Liars

Perfect: 4/5

Unbelievable: 4/5

Wicked: 4/5

I think most people would shun me for not giving these 5's. I do enjoy reading these it's just I honestly wouldn't have a hard time putting them down. I don't think any of the characters are very likeable. Have yet to finish the rest of the series.

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I read these books because they were being made into movies.

The Last Song: 5/5

Now one of my favorite books. The last 100 pages were brutal on me. You could say I was bawling my eyes out. Lolz. I definitely think the book was way better.

Beastly: 3/5

This book was just an "eh" for me. I will certainly be showing up to the movie but not because I loved the book. Of course they moved the release date from this past summer to like, this spring er something. Whatever movie people, whatever. ;p

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Living Dead in Dallas: 4/5

Ahhhh True Blood, how I love you. I read each book after each season airs to see what the differences were and such. Only a few things are different but they're both good. :) SPOILER: I am extremely glad that they didn't kill off Lafayette in the show. THANK YOU TRUE BLOOD WRITERS!

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Percy Jackson Series: 3/5

I could also quite possibly be shunned for this rating also. Again, these books were good. I loved the stories but I had a hard time relating to the characters seeing at they were all in middle school and I'm almost out of high school. Sorry :/

The Lightning Thief: 4/5

The Sea of Monsters: 3/5

The Titan's Curse: 3/5

The Battle of the Labyrinth: 4/5

The Last Olympian: 3/5

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Private Series:

#11 Scandal: 4/5

#12 Vanished: 4/5

Prequel: The Book of Spells: 4/5

Privilege Series:

#4 Sweet Deceit: 5/5

#5 Pure Sin: 3/5

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Mockingjay: 3/5

Again with the shunning ;p Well this book was a disappointment for me. I did like the way things ended but this wasn't nearly as good as the first two. Oh and by the end of this book I didn't much like either Peeta or Gale so.. meh.

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Rampant: 3/5

Th

is was better than I thought it was gonna be but I sorta had to work my way through it. I'm still

excited to read the next book pretty soon!

If I S

tay: 3/5

I thought this was going to be better than it was for me because everyone was raving about it. It was really sad but heart warming at the same time. I may or may not read the next one. It so

unds good so I put it under the countdowns.

Tw

ilight Graphic Novel: 4/5

The book was better ;p But I was happy to find that I enjoyed it more than I thought I was. Twili

ght has become annoying for me because of the movies.. bleh.

Hex Hall: 5/5

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! I am so excited for the new one to come out.

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Summary from GoodReads: Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

OVERALL RATING (2 out of 5):


I'm definitely at a minority when it comes to this rating. This book gets way higher reviews than what I actually think of it. I didn't think it was a bad book, it just felt like there was something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. Okay, here's what I liked about it: He was so honest in this book. Lets just say this book is probably tended to be for a more mature audience. Things like masturbation were mentioned in small parts of the books but it made it more real and believable to me. Though at times it seemed to be a bit excess. Also, I know I'm going to remember parts of this book because it left such an effect on me. But, like I said, there was just something about it that bugged me. I think that anyone that reads this review and hasn't read this book should go read this book anyway. Maybe I wasn't in the mood to read this kind of book or something. I don't know. But really, you all should read it and prove this review wrong or something. :) :)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

Just gonna let you guys know that this is the fifth book in this series. Therefore, you may want to take caution of spoilers in this summary.

Summary from Amazon.com: All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

OVERALL RATING (3 out of 5):


I'm going to apologize ahead of time. I read this so long ago I don't quite remember everything. (Boy do I sound like an elder.) So this is the last book in the Percy Jackson series. Kronos is not only back but bigger and badder then ever. Percy and his friends have to rid of him and his army for good or it's the end of Olympus. Right away the book started out with action but overall I thought the chain of events moved slowly. I thought the plot of this one was only so-so. The ending wrap up was also kinda dragged out but I'm glad that most of it wasn't predictable. All in all, I think if you have read the rest of the books then of course you gotta read this one.

In My Mailbox (4)

I gotta say sorry right now. My last post was an In My Mailbox post. I'm sorry I haven't been posting like I promised. But I'm on a vacay right now. I always have some excuse but I'm going to try my best to post more!!

Alrighty then, In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
So I'm spending some time with my sister at her house in South Carolina and she lives by this place called BooksAMillion. Holy lord, I leave that place with more books than I read in a year. So here's what I got this week!

Tithe by Holly Black
Valiant by Holly Black
Ironside by Holly Black


Almost Famous by Zoey Dean
Star Power by Zoey Dean
Violet in Private by Melissa Walker


Summer Girls by Hailey Abbott
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard


Wanderlust by Lucy Silag
Princess on the Brink by Meg Cabot
Paparazzi Princess by Jen Calonita


Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer
Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer
Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley


Paper Towns by John Green
The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson


Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth
Possessions by Nancy Holder


Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Whewwww.. that took me forever. :)

In My Mailbox (3)

Getting right into the swing of things, In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

So I haven't done an IMM in about a month so of course I have a pretty large amount of books I've gotten since then. Here they are...




Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer
Cum Laude by Cecily von Ziegesar


Sweet Deceit by Kate Brian
Untamed by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast
Hunted by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast


Miles To Go by Miley Cyrus
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

I also found The Phantom of the Opera, Wuthering Heights, Around The World In Eighty Days, and Pride and Prejudice in the dollar section at Target! Sweeeeeet, I know. Share any comments you have on these books!!!

Bloggiesta Goals

Seeing as the new season of TrueBlood starts this Sunday, (eeeeeeeeee!) a few friends and myself have been holding TrueBlood marathons. So that leaves less time for me to do this stuff. Alright so here is everything I would like to get done. These ideas were taken from the host of Bloggiesta at Maw Books. Obviously I won't be able to get all of this completed. If I could even knock off half, that would be amazing. But I'll try my best!!!

[ ]Write reviews.
[ ]Write that great post idea from three months back.
[ ]Conduct and edit author interviews.
[ ]Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities
[ ]Clean up/Create your tags, archives, books reviewed list, etc.
[ ]Create a text file (or Google Doc) of cheat sheets (html codes, post url’s, etc)
[ ]Improve your blog template, clean up sidebars, add a favicon, install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do.
[ ]Add or edit your about me page, review policy, disclosure policy, privacy policy, create landing pages (for example – an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have.
[ ]Clean up and update your challenge lists. Link up your posts with hosts.
[ ]Make sure all of your social network profiles are up to date. Be consistent in those profiles with color scheme, images, etc.
[ ]Visit the Blogging Tips Group on the Book Blogs Ning and find ways to improve your blog.
[ ]Clean out and organize your feed reader and blog subscriptions.

WISH ME LUCK!

I'm Baaaaaack!

Alright, so I'm a bad person. I haven't blogged in almost a month now without even giving you guys a reason why. Well it's simple really; school. But tomorrow is my last day of junior year so I'll be free to do whatever this summer! Therefore, i'm baaaack!!! Sadly, i've only read like, three books. But reviews will be up when I feel like putting them up.. [soon] :)

I am fersher participating! You all should too! See more details at Maw Books Blog. See you this weekend!!!!

Book Blogger Hop (3)

This is for ALL BOOK BLOGGERS (NEW AND OLD) and READERS! Let's make some new friends and have fun!
It's FRIDAY!!!If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

Cool Blogs I Found Last Week:
Audrey@ holes In My brain
Bella@ paranormal obsession

Check 'em out people!!!

Like I've said many times before, I should be done with The Last Olympian this weekend. Sorry about the review coming sooo slow.

Reading Habits

So I thought that this looked fun. Found it at AJ's blog, collections.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:
It's not possible for me. hahaha. I don't have multi-tasking skills.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Whatever I picked out that sounded good.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Writing in books does horrify me. Unless it's the author signing it. ;)

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Bookmarks. I looooove bookmarks. It's so much fun getting a new one.

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?
I rarely read nonfiction but I like both.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I need to finish the chapter. I always feel messed up when I come back to read it and it's not the beginning of a new chapter.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
Nope. Maybe I'll say something out loud to myself, but I get a satisfaction of rating a book low on Goodreads if I didn't like it ;)

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
If it really bugs me than I will but usually not.

What are you currently reading?
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

What is the last book you bought?
The first book in The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I can read more than one book at a time but I prefer just reading one.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
I like to read at night in my bed before I go to sleep.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I don't prefer one or the other just as long as they're good.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Hunger Games

How do you organize your books?(by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)
I used to organize them by author name but now I do it by colors. :) Love it.

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick is:

Cum Laude by Cecily von Ziegesar

Release Date: June 1st, 2010

Dexter College is a small liberal arts college in the quiet town of Home, Maine. But it won't stay quiet for long with this group of freshmen. There's Shipley--blonde and beautiful, the object of envy and more than a little lust. Determined to assert herself and to shed her good-girl image, she buys cigarettes and condoms, because that's what every self-respecting college girl does. Her edgy roommate, Eliza, came to Dexter to get noticed, and she has the attitude and the mouth to prove it. Then there's Tom. Handsome, privileged, used to getting his own way, he's a jock-turned-artist who thinks his paintings will change the world. Sensitive Nick, Tom's wake-and-bake pot-smoking roommate, wants to follow in the footsteps of his boarding-school hero. And then there are brother and sister Adam and Tragedy Gatz. The freckle-faced farm boy lives at home with his parents and his little sister, who does all she can to stop him from being a wuss.

Summary from Amazon

Ah! Very excited!! Cecily von Ziegesar's books are my true guilty addiction. Any one else a fan?

On another note, I am truly sorry for not blogging more. School is wrapping up and things are getting stressful with all the work. Hopefully I'll be done with The Last Olympian before the end of this weekend.